Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders are “running far in excess of our expectations,” Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told Variety on November 9, 2026, in an interview ahead of the company’s fiscal second quarter results. Take-Two’s own release that afternoon said pre-orders are “continuing to reach unprecedented levels,” ten days before the game launches.
The Details
Take-Two did not give a pre-order number. Its earnings presentation says pre-orders “are tracking far above our initial expectations, and we know that the numbers will speak for themselves soon enough.” Zelnick added a note of caution in the Variety interview: “That said, we never claim success before it occurs. So we’re just days away from beginning to see the fruits of our labor.” He said Take-Two will “certainly be giving more information” about how the game performs after launch.
The rest of the quarter, from Take-Two’s figures:
- Net bookings: $1.60 billion, down 18% from $1.96 billion a year earlier and slightly below the company’s own guidance.
- NBA 2K27: Take-Two says it had “the 2nd highest Net Bookings performance in the history of the series, but it was below our forecast for the period.”
- The GTA series: it “exceeded our forecast” ahead of GTA 6’s launch.
- Outlook: Take-Two kept its full-year net bookings forecast of $8.0 billion to $8.2 billion, and expects $3.35 billion to $3.5 billion this quarter, “driven by the groundbreaking release of Grand Theft Auto VI.”
Take-Two’s November investor presentation also updates two lifetime totals: Grand Theft Auto V has sold “nearly 235 million units,” and Red Dead Redemption 2 “sold over 89M units.” The Grand Theft Auto series as a whole has sold nearly 480 million units.
What This Means for Players
There is still time to join that pre-order count, and it matters for the extras. Our pre-order bonuses guide covers what you get and the deadline to qualify. Take-Two’s outlook leans on “robust sales” of the Ultimate Edition, so if you are torn between the two versions, our GTA 6 editions guide compares them and our Ultimate Edition upgrade guide explains whether you can switch later.
Asked about PC and Switch 2, Zelnick told Variety that “information always comes from our labels,” leaving any announcement to Rockstar. Our GTA 6 PC guide covers where that stands. NBA 2K27 players can expect more to do: Take-Two plans “the largest and most innovative array of in-game content ever released for the series,” and every guide is on our NBA 2K27 hub.
When and Where
- GTA 6 launch: November 19, 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
- Launch times: our GTA 6 release time guide.
- Sales numbers: none yet; Take-Two says more will come after launch.
- Every GTA 6 guide: our GTA 6 hub.
Source: Take-Two Interactive, Reports Results for Fiscal Second Quarter 2027, November 9, 2026, with its earnings and investor presentations; Strauss Zelnick, interviewed by Variety, November 9, 2026.